Adam Michnik receives Jerzy Giedroyc Special Prize

Adam Michnik has been awarded the Jerzy Giedroyc Special Prize by the Senate of Maria Curie-Skłodowska University (UMCS) in Lublin. The award, established in 2001, recognizes research into the heritage of the Paris-based journal ‘Kultura’ or the creative continuation of Giedroyc’s message.

In the justification provided by Professor Andrzej Mencwel, the committee noted that Michnik, much like Giedroyc, has worked to “edit Poland and the Poles,” striving for an independent, modern, democratic, and European-integrated nation that is friendly toward its neighbors.

During the ceremony, Michnik praised Giedroyc as a visionary and the most prominent editor in 20th-century Polish media. He described Giedroyc as a defender of values against xenophobia and demagoguery, noting his role in teaching respect for Ukrainian culture and the importance of understanding the national identities of Ukraine, Lithuania, and Belarus.